$2.99 for a Dozen Eggs at Nob Hill for Store Members by Ruth Paget

$2.99 for a Dozen Eggs at Nob Hill for Store Members Using the App Reposted by Ruth Paget 

Large, AA, cage-free eggs are $2.99 for a dozen at Nob Hill in Salinas, California for store members using the app. (Check availability on the app, this is a very good deal.) 

I signed up for the membership app on Raley’s, the parent company for Nob Hill and Bel Air Supermarkets. 

When you pay in the store, you enter your phone number on a key pad at the register to link to your account with electronic coupons you clipped prior to your visit. These coupons are automatically deducted from your bill once your phone number is entered. 

Some items that I have received coupons for that I include in my regular grocery shopping include: 

-organic radishes 

-shredded carrots 

-Casa Sanchez roasted vegetable salsa 

-various artisanal breads (thank you San Francisco for promoting artisanal bread and keeping the tradition alive) 

-Cape Cod potato chips -

restaurant style lightly salted tortilla chips (great with the Casa Sanchez salsa)

-kefir – this is a sour milk product. I like it for its probiotics, calcium, Vitamin K, and Vitamin D.

-President French butter 

-Kerrygold Irish butter 

-Nutella and other hazelnut-chocolate brands 

-various Bonne Maman jams 

-Peroni beer 

I love cheese, but this item rarely has coupons. 

I also use the Nob Hill app to organize shopping lists and can total how much a list costs before taxes.

I like using the Raley’s app for Nob Hill, because I have found good prices on items I use and suggestions for similar items that I might also like. 

I like using the Raley's app, because I can save money with it. 

By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France and developer of the Novgorod and Bento War Games

Mediterranean Vegetarian Meal at Pèppoli Café in Spanish Bay at Pebble Beach, California by Ruth Paget

Mediterranean Vegetarian Meal at Pèppoli Café in Spanish Bay at Pebble Beach, California by Ruth Paget  

To celebrate Memorial Day, my husband Laurent, daughter Florence Paget, and I went to lunch at Pèppoli Café, now open in afternoons, in Spanish Bay at Pebble Beach California. 

We sat on the terrace at a table with a fire pit in the middle, which we, of course, had lighted despite a brisk wind off the Pacific. It made dining a little edgy with flames flickering around. 

We began our meal with the warm goat and olive appetizer that comes with grilled toast rods. The Pebble Beach Company has a herd of goats (about 100 goats) that you can see grazing around Pebble Beach throughout the year. (They are natural lawn mowers for forest floors.) I assumed the warm goat cheese came from the milk of this herd. 

In any case, the goat cheese arrived warm and melting in a bath of extra virgin olive oil with sautéed slices of red bell peppers to drape over the grilled toast. Just that was pretty great, but the real bonus was a ramekin dish full of warm olive oil with pitted Gaeta (maybe Kalamata) black olives, small green Spanish manzanilla olives, and small black French Niçoise olives with a whole spicy red pepper. 

The small manzanilla and small Niçoise olives have pits so be careful biting down on them. The hot pepper gave the olives a little zing, which I found delicious. 

As my main dish, I ordered eggplant parmigiana (eggplant Parmesan) that was served on a generous bed of lumache (pronounce loo-ma-kay) pasta in the form of a snail with tomato sauce. This a a simple description for a somewhat elaborate dish. 

The lumache pasta at the bottom of the dish was covered with tomato sauce made with garlic, olive oil, San Marzano tomatoes, sun-dried tomato paste, fresh basil, and fresh oregano that had cooked for several hours. The flavor is concentrated with pronounced sun-dried tomato and oregano flavors. This sauce is different from the Marinara sauce on top of the eggplant slices and provided a nice flavor contrast. 

The eggplant slices in the eggplant parmgiana is sliced and dunked in flour, beaten eggs, and a breadcrumb and Parmesan mixture before sautéing. The thick crust on the eggplant made me think that it had been double dipped before sautéed. 

Once the eggplant was ready, mozzarella was placed on the pasta. The eggplant slices went on top of this. Marinara sauce made with garlic, olive, basil leaves, and salt that is cooked for a shorter time than the sauce on the lumache pasta went on top of the eggplant slices with parmesan grated on top. 

Finally, the chef placed slices of mozzarella di bufala on top of everything before running it under the broiler. This steaming and oozing delight tasted just great with the views of ocean on the terrace. 

I was very happy with the Mediterranean vegetarian meal I ate at Pèppoli Café at Pebble Beach, California and think both vegetarians (lacto-ovo vegetarians) and Italian culture lovers would like the elaborate eggplant parmigiana with ocean views from Pèppoli Café. 

Mille Grazie for the delightful lunch! 

By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France and developer of the Novgorod and Bento War Games

UChicago Year of Games Numbers for 2026 reposted by Ruth Paget

The 2025 - 2026 Year of Games at the University of Chicago has wrapped up and the numbers are in with 93 campus units being engaged in activities and wanting more next year as an overall participation indicator.

More detailed information on events held follows from the program chair and an invitation to submit ideas for the 2026 - 2027 Year of Games at the University of Chicago:

https://mail.google.com/mail/mu/mp/465/#cv/priority/%5Esmartlabel_personal/19e98bb2a833df9c

Game On!

Reposted by Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Martying France and developer of the Novgorod and Bento War Games

40% off The Odyssey translated by Mendelsohn from UChicago reposted by Ruth Paget

The University of Chicago Press is offering 40% off The Odyssey translated by Daniel Mendelsohn when ordering from their website until 7-5-2026, using the promotional code from the website.

The Odyssey is being made into a film by Academy Award Winner Christopher Nolan, so check out the movie tie-in book that was published before the film was made.

Information about the Mendelsohn translation of the Odyssey and purchase information follows:

https://mail.google.com/mail/mu/mp/465/#cv/priority/%5Esmartlabel_promo/19e982282e864835

Note: I have made 8 games about ancient Western civilization that you can play after reading The Odyssey to further your knowledge of the ancient world.  These games are available below:

https://ruthpaget.blogspot.com/2026/03/ancient-western-civilixation-games.html?m=1

Reposted by Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France and developer of thevNovhorod and Bento War Games

200 Free Statistics Resources for Kids from the US Census Bureau reposted by Ruth Paget

Numeracy promotion is the name of the game this summer with the 200 free resources developed by the US Census Bureau online.

Information about downloading these materials from the US Census Bureau follows:

https://mail.google.com/mail/mu/mp/465/#cv/priority/%5Esmartlabel_personal/19e944ed7bed68f4

Happy figuring!

Reposted by Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France and developer of the Novgorod and Bento War Games

War, Readers, and the Fate of the Book Trade Lecture at UChicago reposted by Ruth Paget

The University of Chicago hosted a lecture on War, Readers, and the Fate of the Book Trade with detailed discussion of these topics during World War II and what is currently happening in Ukraine on May 13, 2026.  

The role of libraries during these periods was also a part of this yearly lecture.

A write-up of this lecture and access to the full lecture can be found on the University of Chicago link below:

https://humanities.uchicago.edu/articles/2026/05/war-readers-and-fate-book-trade-andrew-pettegree-delivers-2026-paleography-and-book

Reposted by Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France and developer of the Novgorod and Bento War Games

Theater’s Civic Role in a time of Transformation - UChicago Dean’s Salon Recap reposted by Ruth Paget

Theater’s Civic Role During a Time of Transformation was the topic of a Dean’s Salon held at the University of Chicago on April 16, 2026.

The write-up of this timely and thought-provoking session follows:

https://humanities.uchicago.edu/articles/2026/05/deans-salon-explores-theaters-civic-role-time-transformation

Reposted by Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France and developer of the Novgorod and Bento War Games